By Leslie Kinrys
Leslie Kinrys has loved birds since her father put a House Sparrow fledgling in her young hands. She lives and birds in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, with some trips farther afield. She enjoys seeing all species of birds, but her favorites are hummingbirds.
Back in March, in Southwestern Florida, my husband (non-birder and good sport) and I drove to Big Cypress National Preserve. We traveled along Alligator Alley. There are always lots of birds to see on the way, especially waders. We decided to stop at H. P. Williams Wayside Park. This is a great spot for alligators, which we saw that day. We decided to have a picnic lunch there. Sitting in a nearby tree, American Crows were eyeing our sandwiches.
But it was a little warbler who joined us for lunch. A Palm Warbler, in breeding plumage, hopped onto the end of our table. I thought that was unusual behavior because warblers aren’t the type of birds to approach people. The usual, friendly types are chickadees, nuthatches, and some woodpeckers.
This warbler kept coming closer and closer, staring at us the whole time. I told my husband that it looked like it was begging for food. A crumb of bread had fallen on the table. I flicked it towards the bird and it gobbled it up. Then, it came closer and stared at us some more. I don’t like to encourage wildlife to beg for food and I decided to ignore it. The warbler dropped under our table and hopped around our feet, looking for more crumbs, before it flew off.
A female Pileated Woodpecker
We saw a few more birds along the boardwalk. We had an Osprey, Turkey, and Black Vultures, soaring overhead. A Red-shouldered Hawk was crying as it hunted. A Pileated Woodpecker slipped through the trees. Then, it was time to head home.
Note: Palm Warbler cover photo taken from Pexels, an online source of copyright-free photos. Other photos by the Kinrys family
Interesting observation – an insectivore eating crumbs…
Maybe it’s just me (or the lack of nuthatches and chickadees in my area), but I find the warblers to be among the friendliest of birds. They have given me many amazing ‘at arms length’ (or less) close-up encounters. A few months ago, a black-and white, committed to its meticulous search for food- creeping along a little reclining Buddha statue- barely a foot away from my roommate and I, while eating at the backyard table. A favorite of mine is the yellow-throated warbler. The best one was frequenting a South Beach roof-top pool bar during Ultra Music Festival, which my visiting friends were just delighted with. It usually was in an adjacent coconut tree, but often landed on the tables. Black-throated blues have come close to me more often than any other for seemingly no other reason than just being curious. If still and quiet, ovenbirds come to you. Surely many birders have been charmed by an ovenbird strolling along, its plumage details perfectly enjoyed without binoculars. I don’t purposely feed these birds. But American redstart is one that definitely has a meal in mind. I’ve had it snap-up (literally) bugs at my feet, and once in my face. I don’t mind if they are being friendly, or just hungry. They are so personable, and I love them for that!